some friends of mine were vacationing in Europe when some German fellows questioned their ability to drink beer due to them being American. One of my friends grabbed one of the Germans glass of beer, chugged it, slammed it on the table, then chanted USA, USA, USA, YOU SUCK!

Our day of independence does not celebrate storming a Jail, starting a civil war, or any act of violence. we honor a magnificent statement of human asperation. That's what separates us from the rest of the world. Well, that, and the fact that we are fucking awesome.

I actually was called in to work today because of last night's round of weather, but I'll find some time to grill and consume beer later, of course. For your further entertainment, here is the great (and British, but he played an American on TV) Hugh Laurie singing his tribute to America on "A Bit Of Fry And Laurie":

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."